Two moons in the sky, the hope of light
by Yuhi-no-tenshi
Summary: It has been years since a Shoku hit the Mount Hou again, leaving unknow the whereabouts of two kirins. Enki thinks that he found one but the other is no longer in Hourai/Japan. When both moons find eachother, the light will born
1. Prologue

**Hi! This fanfic elapses 17 years after Taiki was found and returned to the twelve kingdoms for the second time (For those who don't know in the book "The Shore at Twilight, The Sky at Daybreak" is where Risai with the support of kings of Kei, En, Han and Ren were able to rescue Taiki. Taiki had been 'poisoned' by been forced to eat meat and therefore his horn had no hope of healing. I have opened a blog for those who want to know where I put details of my fanfics and there is a summary of the book. The link is in my profile!). Now that Tai has already recovered almost completely, the most critical situation is found in the kingdoms of Kou and Hou (Although the previous government of Ryuu fell due to the corruption among officers and ministers years ago, recently there's a new King and rumors say that the situation is stable. I'll say the details in the story.)**

**

* * *

Prologue:**

Walking through a path full of shadows, a girl about fifteen or fourteen years old was walking with fear and without haste on the path, while her hair mixed with the dark and her black eyes looked to a small but warm light at the end of the path.

"I have to go, It's calling me"

She only thought that, only said that. She couldn't do anything else, "That light ..." she thought. As she got closer, she felt more scared at the same time she saw that the answer to her question was at the end of the path.

For days she had has strange dreams in which a voice said, "Come, follow me, you and the other will return to where they belong". Who was that person'? What did it wanted from her? Who was the other? All these thoughts crossed her mind as unconsciously she moved closer and closer to the light.

* * *

Suddenly, she awoke in a pavilion decorated with plants and flowers she had never seen in her life, with a beautiful river that ran through it and whose sound was easily confused with the singing of birds. On one side was the door to a palace, whose walls dazzle with their unique pearl, gold and silver ornaments, .

Then, a man left the palace to the pavilion. His face couldn't be see because of the light around him, but a big smile appeared in the middle. Hasty, the girl approached the man with a concern face.

"Excuse me sir, Can you tell me where we are?"

"We're in my palace," he said, smiling even more.

"And where is your palace? Somewhere in China? "

"No, you're wrong"

"So ... Where are we?"

The man kept a brief moment of silence and then added "I'm very happy that you could find me"

The girl was confused.

"Not many come here, in fact, is the first time someone 'alive' visit us"

"What do you mean?"

"It means you're the first alive being that visit me. It was I called you"

"Then the voice ..."

"Now I'll clarify all your doubts" said that, the man placed his right hand on the girl's forehead , and it began to shine. After a moment, he withdrew the hand and went on to judge the girl's face in front of him, which was surprised "I see you've understood"

"But ... I don't think I can bear this responsibility You're sure?" said still surprised.

"I'm sure you can. Find the 'Other' and fulfill your mission"

No matter how or why he persuaded her, she just nodded and disappeared into the mysterious mist that fell from heaven right then ...

"I know you can do ... Good luck, Naoko"

* * *

**I know it was very short but it had to be! I'll be uploading as soon as I finish to translate it in English (But I'm not very good as I indicated in my profile so anything NOTIFY ME) The early chapters don't seem to have anything to do but everything will change after the interlude!**

**READ & COMMENT!**


	2. Chapter I

**Hi! The begin of the story is in japan, so some things won't make much sense, but everything will change after the interlude. There will clarify everything (Well, just some things!).**

**NOTE: By the way, for those who want to know what happened to Taiki see my blog (link in my profile!)**

**I DON'T OWN THE TWELVE KINGDOMS!**

* * *

**Chapter I:**

Just at the twilight, when the light illuminated the sky, some beings got out of their dreams, while others don't wanted to go back to their reality. However, even if the sun shines, it can't illuminate some hearts ...

He was watching the sunrise. His heart told him at that time that he didn't belong there. He felt a strange impulse to escape. He tried by all ways to contain the feeling, but there were times when even the common sense couldn't contain instinct.

* * *

He regained consciousness in his classroom. In his view, it was still too early to come to school. He sat in almost the last seat in the row next to the window. The twilight was still on the horizon when he got to the point of drowning in his own thoughts ...

Amid the confusion, he felt like a hand fell on his shoulder, followed by a short laugh of someone standing behind him.

At first, he felt fear. But after a few seconds, the situation was very familiar to him. The hand, though a little pale, was warm and friendly. He felt that the person behind was transmitting tranquility and sadness simultaneously. That kind of feeling, brought even more confusion and yet ... he felt an impulse that told him everything was fine. He didn't know how to explain. It was like being happy and sad at the same time.

After a few minutes of strange feelings that spread throughout the room, he felt the warm hand disappeared at the same time he heard the strange sound of a be ...

"I finally found you, you're ..."

Suddenly he felt that the presence of the person whose existence was familiar to him had disappeared at the time the sun light illuminated completly the whole Tokyo city.

* * *

"Seiji, Seiji... Hey!" Said his friend standing in front of him.

"Ah... Hello Toshiro..."

"Something happen? You have acted strange all day"

Then, he finally understood that it was noon and lunch at their school. He didn't say a word the rest of day. In his mind was only room for one thing ... that ... Was it ...?

For months, Seiji had strange and curious dreams. Within the dream there was a person. He couldn't distinguish it well. All it did was watch him and that made Seiji feel uncomfortable. At the end of the dream, that person only directs him a murmur which he only got:

_"The darkness and the light will... and then will born... That is..."_

For more time analyzing it, he didn't find sense of what that person said...

The dream was repeating again and again, and increasingly became more clear... But still, he never understood more than whispers of that person, or even recognize it.

In short, for him, everything was more than just a dream. For him that was his reality... and not what he living at that time... which he didn't know was borrowed ...

Walking home, thinking about what happened, he realized something important for him ... that anyone ... anyone at all ... was worthy of his confidence ... Or so he thought ...

* * *

The next day, he attended at the same hour and minute at his institute, as the deadly routine every day. Tokyo city was still wrapped in the shadows of the full moon night and you could barely hear the singing of birds then depart south for the winter. The last leaves of autumn made their way through the cold wind, giving way to the next hottest season Seiji had lived. Only one life was observed in what could be a graveyard of hate in the early hours of the day ... Or at least only one life ... could be seen through human eyes...

Walking the way to his classroom, he could distinguish the shape of a person in the middle of the narrow hallway. All alone in the shadows and the cold wind, that person looked at the horizon, waiting for the sun light to erase the existence of the dark.

Trying to ignore the mysterious shadow of the person, he went straight through the darkness of the beginning of the day. Geting closer, he distinguished figure of a girl his age. He just thought not take care of it would be better. At the time they were side-to-side, he heard whispers of which only understood:

"... Will be... one... two... the... of the..."

Given the desired message, the girl disappeared when the lights of sunset lit the place. Just thought that what he saw was just an illusion of his mind, but... still... He wanted to know who could be ... that girl ...

* * *

In the morning when most of his classmates had arrived and had begun classes as usual, the teacher, checking the student list as usual, made an announcement.

"Attention please, today enters a new student to school. Go ahead " at that time a girl with black hair and dark eyes, serious and expressionless face, without saying a word in the entire presentation "She's Naoko Tsukishima. I hope that get along with her... Now let me see... you'll sit behind Tsukimori "The girl rushed to sit in the seat, to the evident Seiji's astonishment face.

In the rest of the day, he felt the penetrating gaze of the person behind. He just knew he had not known that girl in his life and yet she resembled to someone who had seen long ago, who he couldn't remember its face. He didn't want to look back because just Naoko's gaze was uncomfortable. That gaze ... was very similar... again ...

Walking home, he felt the cold wind of autumn took his concerns away. Even a little, it gave him more peace. He could still feel the keen eye of his new classmate, and still remembered those strange events occurring in a supernatural way. _"It's very rare that a person was admitted in half of the year ... Did these events could be linked to the new girl? ... No this can't be, no human could do such a thing."_ At that moment he felt that even the trial was yielding to the indomitable force of instinct.

Run? Fly? A field full of beautiful plants and flowers? All these thoughts crossed his mind wandering like an arrow into the darkness toward a unknow point . He couldn't stop thinking the same, nor ask himself why he thought that.

What was that on the horizon? The sea? Again he had unwittingly walked all the way to the dock. He watched the slow sunset. It seemed to ease his sorrows. The gulls flying, the sound of the ships with lots of people, the salty wind shaking his hair, the warm rays of the sun ... The peace written everywhere. He decided to stay until the moon rose, what he had waited all day.

In the moon he could see the reflect of his wishes ... or... of the wishes of his interminable instinct ... The moon ... just see it in the sky ... made his heart beat endlessly ... it always looked like that, a source of comfort floating in the sky... But the sun's rays merging with the moon in giving way to the morning enliven the fog of his concerns ...

Come to think of it, not all the time was like that... he remembered being a very lively and friendly boy and rather good (in general) in studies... Until began to dream ...

That wouldn't matter, it was his problem and he had to fix it. Definitely he had to discover what was going in and get out of his doubts.

* * *

**It starts to clear up right? Well ... something like thing long will be the next chapters. I'm trying not to entangled everything but all this started as a REALLY long and intertwined dream so I don't know! XP**

**READ & COMMENT**


	3. Chapter II

**Hi everyone! I regret not having been here all this time, but I'm in exam period! (* Scream *) Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**NOTE: For those who want to know what happened to Taiki, visit my blog!**

**I DON'T OWN THE TWELVE KINGDOMS!**

**Chapter II:**

The wind of the slowly sunset disappearing on the horizon chased by the dark was ringing in his ears. The stark truth of the loneliness deep inside his being dented deeply his hopes, reflected in the brightness of the sun that had provided the moon. His fragile heart was about to break into tiny pieces that would soon become ash carried by the wind.

Seiji every day was lost in the infinite deep cold void of the doubts in his mind, but today, the tenth day of the eleventh month of the year, in late autumn, He could feel even in the depths of his soul excruciating pain even stronger than before.

The warm, slow twilight accompanied by cold winds of fall and the clouds lit by the light and crossed by great birds slowly eased his pain. However, the sound of cars on the cobbled streets something away from him and the loud roar of the boats across the sea revived their suffering even faster than the dusk curing his soul.

Sitting there with the wind of twilight as a witness, he took his hand to his chest. Pain, pain, why so much suffering?

Now not only was enough that his mind was full of hesitation, his heart wanted to escape from a pain which he had not the slightest idea.

The sea began to empty of ships as the minutes passed and rumors of even were more powerful cars. Meanwhile the sun was melting into the moon in a very slow evening that seemed to have no end. The deaf singing birds disappeared into the clouds now somewhat obscured by the almost overnight. The sun was still ruling over the shadows ...

What could that be? A song?

A very strange melody interrupted him in the midst of his confusion. The melody quietly covered the whole place. A slow pace combined with the sunset and the clouds, bringing the beautiful songs peace to the mind of Seiji.

He raised his head to look at the slow sunset over the sea. The melody played by a beautiful voice made through all his memories one by one, piling them into a complete order on a specific site of his mind.

He began to remember the moments with his family, friends and colleagues, his attitude before his dreams, and the strange events ...

Began rolling in his mind the image of the new girl he met that day. Something within him had a kind of attachment to her, a kind of relationship that Siji didn't known. What would Seiji had in common to her?

Naoko Tsukishima.

The strange and unfamiliar melody kept hearing all around, bringing calm since the beginning ...

It was strange. While was filming his mind the image of the mysterious young transferred girl, That tune for some reason gave his spirit a deep calm.

The aong continued as if it hadn't end, like the twilight ...

He gathered his eyelids a moment to listen to the song. In a soft language, the voice of a woman was singing in a foreign language that for some reason Seiji could understand.

"... The moonlight comes from the sun

The Sun maintains its faith in the Moon

The sun divides it into two halves

The combined light of both

Carried by the Sun of KoHun

The path of the twins will illuminate

Bringing hope to my being ... "

In his mind, everything began to calm down. He withdrew the palm of his chest and only deigned to continue listening to the incredible voice of the lady. Increasingly soft, melodious voice was accompanied gently in the evening.

Would he start to hallucinate and stuff? He began to believe that the voice was getting closer to him.

Deliberately he turned away. Beside him stood with outstretched arms and the body to feel the wind of late autumn, the eyelids closed and her long dark hair, letting go in the breeze.

Beside him was that girl, Naoko Tsukishima ...

The lips of the young girl spoke with extreme delicacy last words of the melody.

"... Peace will return to

The dozen petals

of the Chrysanthemum

of the twins ... "

The girl slowly opened her lashes, discovering her shining brown eyes. Gently lowered her arms as she looked the horizont.

Seiji gave her a surprised look, that was all he could think to do at that time. What more could one do if the girl that one isn't supposed to know but that is familiar was stood right beside him watching the slow twilight of november?

**I Clarify, they are NOT going to have relationships, like boyfriend and girlfriend. Moreover, they are united but more like ... well ... better not tell yet ...**

**Believe it or not, it's really a song. It was wrote by a friend of my dad for me but for some reason I can't upload it to my blog, so I leave you all disappointed. (*Crying*)Really It was a beautiful song!**

**Until next time!**

**READ & COMMENT**


	4. Chapter III

**HELLO! Sorry I've not been here in a long long time but is just that the school was… just… MAKING ME CRAZY! Whatever, let's continue our story…**

**I DON'T OWN THE TWELVE KINGDOMS!**

* * *

**Chapter III**

It was already late at night. The moon was full of glory, quietly shining in the sky, being the only bright object that could be distinguished in the shadows. Deep silence. There wasn't even the slightest sound outside that could break the deep reflexive state he was in.

However, no matter how dark the sky was, he finally could feel a little more relieved.

For some reason, under the moonlight, out in the room balcony of the house, where he never felt he belong to, Seiji could easily feel his heart lighter. There wasn't loneliness or sadness; almost all doubts that overwhelmed him that much had disappeared, the pain had stopped too.

Actually, he felt really peaceful with himself.

He almost wanted to thank that girl, Naoko, the one he meet with the same day.

The twilight followed heavily his way to leave once and for all the horizon and to open the way for the moon, that melting into a beautiful sunset, made an impressive performance with lights bathing the coast and the sea, now free of vessels.

Without even turning to him with her eyes, which he guessed were brown although he had never seen them, she sat beside him, with her eyes still watching the gentle sunset.

Seiji was still looking her, his eyes filled with curiosity, couldn't look aside, waiting for some kind of reaction from her or anything that would give him a clue of what his mind instinctively figure out what she was going to mention.

He could not understand the reason that new student who just knew and from only knew the name (And that had seen him with eyes, was there, sitting beside him, and him with that strange feeling of longing in chest, like if it wasn't the first time he felt that uncomfortable silence. It might have been just a coincidence, a simply a mistake of his mind. Or not.

"It's a beautiful sunset" The first comments made by Naoko had soft echo remoteness, breaking the silence disturbing. She turned to him with a peaceful smile decorating her face. Her light brown eyes shining with the rays of sunset "Don't you think?"

Huh? ... Y-Yeah he murmured, after watching her without taking his eyes off her due to he behavior.

She seemed a completely different person to whom he had met just the previous morning had known.

She didn't had the same face scary that chased all over, no longer gave off that strange aura that he thought was looking for something important, it didn't ignited Seiji's fear (Though either, before hadn't was pretty close).

The other way around. She was holding an incredibly peaceful sight that got along really well with eyes towards him, her warm smile matched only to the beauty of a blooming flower and her quiet voice that he heard minutes ago while singing.

Definitely, she didn't seem be that person that met the day before.

"... Is there anything that concerns you?" She said turning to him with somewhat uneasy eyes after noticing Seiji's long pause and expression.

Seiji reacted unsteadily "... No ..." he muttered while shaking his head.

She looked at the sky, now worried, "Are you sure?"

No answer. Seiji turned his gaze to the hands on his knees. He wasn't sure whether were just little worries or doubts; all he knew was that there was an unrecognizable pain in his chest. There was an unexpected silence.

"Don't you want to fly?"

Seiji turned deliberately to Naoko, surprised by the comment, thinking that maybe it really was something unusual that she could read his thoughts.

The girl turned her head toward him with a pleased smile "Would you not like to fly through the skies?"

Fly through the skies? Many times in his childhood he had dreamed about that unattainable illusion, but that had been gone as soon as he entered high school. It was simply an ideology that his mind created years ago, but until now it had never been supported by his common sense.

He nodded, unable to get rid of the surprised face from moments before.

She smiled again and turned her eyes to the sky. He closed his eyes calmly while a soft and tender gust passed, not unnoticed, by both. Her voice was filled with admiration "Sometimes I dream of flying through the sky, full of clouds and the sun shining ... then landed in a radiant, green meadows filled with plants, flowers and creatures of all kinds ... I love running nonstop just to enjoy the fresh yet warm wind ..."

Seiji stared. Everything was exactly the same. He talked with an unreadable face "...Were you flying with wings?".

Naoko opened her eyes slowly. She paused before answering "... No..." She said without taking her gaze off the sky, removing the melancholy smile in her face.

Seiji startled, more than he'd expected. Everything was the same, exactly the same. He could remember those happy dreams of his childhood, but not even him would have described it that well. He could remember the sweet scent of the grass fields, trees which flowers of all colors danced in the wind of a potentially endless spring, and the stillness that deepened throughout the landscape.

"Did that bring something up?" She asked with a smirk decorating her unparalleled face, noticing that that his lips had arched melancholy but happily in Seiji's face.

She did it again. Seiji looked at her puzzled. How could she know what she was thinking? Was it just coincidence that both had the same dream, was it not? He had no idea ... he hadn't the slightest idea ... yet ...

"Anyway... I'm glad ..." He heard her mention, turning to the sky, which was bathed in different colors.

"Why?" Muttered, has not left his surprise.

He smiled even happier than all the times she did before. She pointing to Seiji's face "You smiled"

Seiji didn't know what to say next, staying perfectly still. However, for some reason, he couldn't keep his face suddenly appeared in a peaceful expression, but simply couldn't hold it.

Naoko stood up from her place when the twilight was about to disappear from the horizon "It was a nice talk but I gotta go" she said turning around to head to the nearest street.

"Really?" Seiji muttered, following her with his eyes, attending to each movement that she did, without being able to control his hopeless tone.

Naoko gave him a warm smile "See you tomorrow at school"

He nodded, happier now.

She was about to take another step towards the stret when she stopped "...I almost forgot..." laughing, turned around. From her purse she pulled a small statue of what looked like a horse and gave it to Seiji "Today is your birthday, right?"

Seiji reacted late, astonished "Y-yeah... How did you know?"

"The teacher told me..." she said innocently "It seems that we both were born the same day"

Seiji more surprised again to account "Is it also your birthday?"

She nodded happily.

...Coincidence? Was it jusy by chance? Perhaps they did have some sort of relationship? Seiji didn't stop thinking about it. The idea that they had much more in common than being born the same day was disconcerting, and yet at that time didn't mind answering the new questions that had arisen in his mind. Simply, he was too relaxed to think.

She turned again after waving her hand and walked slowly.

With a determined smile on her lips and eyes on the ground instead of the city skyline, she murmured "Now that I've found you just have to wait for this day to come again. Wait until the two moons come together"

Although still somewhat stunned, he could hear some words. Just seconds after hearing that, he turned quickly to her trail. Nothing. The street was completely empty and there was no sign of her. She just suddenly disappeared.

Maybe it was just his imagination ... but ...

Seiji turned back at dusk of the day of his fifteenth birthday, which didn't have much time left until it completely disappeared, just as he had done before. But something was different.

With his eyes closed and with the statuette in his hands, his lips curled back quietly. This time, he was at peace...

* * *

The light of the morning peeked through the windows on the right side of the room accompanied by unusual bird songs (which maybe he hadn't heard because of his worried actitude before) and a deep silence then.

Slowly, he opened her eyes. His gaze stayed fixed on the ceiling for a few seconds that seemed eternal, pondering what he had dreamed that night. He sat quietly on his bed and looked beyond his window. He opened it to feel the somewhat cold wind, the birds singing, and the arome of tree leaves falling in autumn.

He brought his hands to his mouth and surprised a little, but let himself go with the placid smile that his lips emitted at that very moment.

Yeah, sure. He had returned to his childhood dreams. Those sweet visions in the fields and skies, and flying without wings. Although at that time it was a little different, he was happy that way. In fact, at that very moment, he was happier than ever in his life without knowing it.

At the end of the dream, two moons as bright as the sun came together, creating a beautiful and persevering light ...

* * *

**Well, that's it for chapter 3 of the story. You think you can find what's next? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?**

**READ & COMMENT**


	5. Interlude

**Ok I know I disappeared for loooooooong time, but let's say it was a liiiittle busy and terrible. Now I want to finish all the fic I left behind and ... I hope that there are still some readers T.T**

**Well, if anyone is reading this, I hope this intrigue you guys!**

* * *

**Interlude:**

"If it wasn't for this feeling ..."

The sunlight completely covered the palace. There wasn't even a trace of darkness in the most remote places because the sun was more intense that day that she could have imagined.

Still, it wasn't annoying. The palace was ventilated by a fresh breeze, though cold, and which matched with colorful sunrise clouds and sun itself in the twilight.

The palace was surrounded by huge mazes strangely delimited by the large natural rock walls of the mountain. There wasn't any sight of plants in the distance, although the place was filled with perfectly clean air coming from an unknown place.

She was still standing by the ornate pillar.

The balcony was clearly decorated with details and paintings, but with remarkable simplicity, which very pleasing to the eye of anyone. It was accompanied by handrails that marked the boundaries of the floor, but not the view of sunrise bathing the place in the early morning, warmer without considering the approach of summer, but even so it was the least she cared about.

It had been many years since that, but still could not forget.

At that time, the priestesses were deeply devastated. She had seen many mourn, others trying to hide the sorrow, and others hiding to let everything go in warm tears and sobs.

Although she had felt the need to do the same, she couldn't. She figured that it was because she had no tears left to cry, but also considered the fact that she had to be strong no matter what. Besides, what would be solved if she did?

It was true. There was no sense in crying, but in acting.

That day, there was something else that set it apart from others.

There was an air of anxiety and happiness, two feelings so different and similar to each other, that made them not to fit. She couldn't determine which was which.

In her heart, she felt that something very important was going to happen soon on Mount Hou, or at least in 'this' world.

Her mind began analizing all the possibilities that could happen, no matter how ridiculous they were, something must happen, because it was a hunch, and they never failed.

Her heartbeat suddenly stopped.

A shadow danced through the adorned bars behind the temple floors. It seemed to squirm every time it spinned once or twice around the building. It also looked desperate, due to an unknown reason.

She recognized it immediately. She bowed so she could see it better, but the slopes of the mountains got in the way. She also tried to follow it with her gaze as it revolved like dancing with strange movements.

Something happened, she was now sure.

The shadow approached almost inhumanly quickly to where she was. Her reflexes weren't as fast as the others', but had plenty of special powers in the Sacred Mountain. She managed to slide to the right while the shadow coiled nonstop. Even her ears, as her eyes were closed for a moment, were reached by a faint shriek.

Soon the sun's rays lit it.

It was a figure, like that of a woman. It had big eyes of a deep green color and curly, razor-sharp hair. The legs were covered with animal skin and "she" had scales in certain parts of the body. Although she couldn't distinguish perfectly, it was obvious that it wasn't human.

Something caught the attention of the priestess. On "her" right arm, there was a shallow cut, from which blood still flowed.

She took out of her pockets placed on the sleeves of her garment, two pure white handkerchiefs. The first was divided by her into two parts, and the second was then pressed against the wound of that creature.

She tried to disinfect the wound a bit, and then put the two parts of the other handkerchief into a knot to stop the bleeding. She kept pressing against "her" arm, which ended with the sharp claws of an eagle.

"Be more careful" she said in a voice loud enough to be heard.

There was no answer. A long silence, certainly uncomfortable the first time, but she was already used to it.

The creature looked at her askance. 'She' didn't seemed to be paying much attention, and the priestess knew exactly why.

Then she knotted the end parts of the scarves, now tied on the arm of a human-like creature with all the force she could give, trying not to drop 'her' arm.

She was especially fond of it because she had been waiting anxiously under the Tree along with the figure of 'woman' for the Fruit to broke and a creature to be born, who the 'woman' had the duty to protect, although this fact is never happen.

Personally, she loved the creature, even if 'she' almost never talk to her, and had become attached to the one inside the fruit, constantly imagining how it would look later when it was born. She had the same feelings for the other fruit and the other 'human', but not as much as her partner, whose love for both was only comparable to her own for the othe two.

The figure of the woman tried to disengage 'her' arm from the sleeve of the priestess, as indeed 'she' did a moment later.

The priestess gave 'her' a sad gaze, but she only had it for a few seconds until 'she' decided to turn back to go, giving her the sight of 'her' inhuman back.

She sighed with disappointment. Both beings were sad ...

"... Please ..." She said trying to stop the figure for a moment "Be careful"

There was not much response in the blank face of the female creature, but she knew a smile would appear again when they were found... once and for all ...

"We will find them. I'm sure" said trying to give 'her' hope.

She could glimpse a fleeting expression on the face of the figure of the woman, before it expanded its wings and again the same noise from before was hear, the 'woman' disappearing from the sight of the priestess. It had been a flash, a smile ...

A little hope...

"Miyo!" shouted a small but eager voice behind her.

She turned and caught a glimpse of the small figure of the girl, running to where she was.

"Hina ... what is it?" She asked the girl.

Hina was another priestess. Somewhat shorter than her, a girl with an innocent face, but very responsible with work. The two had entered the temple at about the same time, so quickly met when they were both disciples of Youka, another priestess with more years of experience.

Her face, tired but smiling, reflected something different "...th... They did ..." she panted hard, probably had run everywhere searching her friend "They... fina...lly... di...d..."

Still, Miyo failed to grasp the idea. Perhaps it was due to her friend's anxiety or panting. What did she mean with 'they did'...?

Unless...

"Don't tell me ..." she managed to mumble, totally stunned.

"Yes, Miyo!" Cried the young priestess enormously happy, poking a few small tears of hope in her eyes.

"They finally found them!"

* * *

**That's it for now! I know it doesn't make up for all this time, but I promise I'll put the next chapter this week! I SWEAR! T.T**

**READ & COMMENT!**


	6. Chapter IV

**Well, as promised: End of the week, new chap for you.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN THE TWELVE KINGDOMS ~ because then many weirdo things would have happen XD**

* * *

**Chapter IV:**

Black.

A deep black color. Not lonely, not painful. Only void of any feeling or emotion.

Dark. No cold, no heat, nor any perception known by human. Actually, what was the human, rather than a being who gathered everything he saw with something else, sometimes completely different? Despite not having reason or explanation, a color 'seemed' to be able to show feelings and emotions, only typical of the thinking human.

However, there was nothing in this black, nothing but a gaping hole, almost as vast as the universe itself, which transformed it all into the complete nothingness.

No pain, no feeling.

A large piece was missing.

* * *

Whatever it was, He couldn't know exactly.

The nearest pillar served valuable support, which he sought as quickly as he felt 'that'. A powerful torrent, incomprehensibly powerful and cold, passed like a spasm ran through his spine and spread like a deadly disease to the rest of his body with incredible speed.

The energy within himself suddenly bowed before such force, and then began to move desperately seeking a way out, which it never found, as he rehabilitated his senses back in time before his natural instinct took full control of his mind.

His own breathing clearly reached his ears after the noise, similar to a disconcerting hum, diminished slowly. His eyes seemed to be burning, and soon his eyelids wanted to close.

He inhaled as much air as he could, trying to count down on his head, in order to regain the senses. After this, he exhaled with a heaviness that surprised even himself.

His view then instinctively stuck on the horizon. The sea showed to be surprisingly inert, even though everything around him felt different.

He could feel, hardly, that it was coming from the boundaries of the Ei province the Ki province, or possibly from much further away.

When he could use his voice again, he stated:

"... Hyouki ..." His voice sounded distant as he struggled to control the energy, still flowing uncontrolled inside him, his natural instinct reaching his horn, which rumbled.

A thud echoed against the pillar which he still used as support. A shadow danced slightly behind his clothes, transforming the figure that the sun made of him into a completely different creature.

"Master" said a hoarse and prominent voice, yet slightly quiet.

The monstrous head appeared on the floor, almost as if it could easily and abominably traverse the floor. Its coat, dark and red, stinging, piercing golden eyes, and fangs long enough to break someone in two.

No sooner had appeared the Youma, He felt sudden calm blurring the disorientation, however, he could still feel the remnants of that 'pulse' in the air. He followed with his eyes the imaginary trail across the sky at sunset above the Kinpa Palace, until they couldn't see farther through the clouds.

In that direction ... was the Kingdom of Kou.

"Hyouki, I want you to go to the limits of the You Province" he said as he walked a few steps away from the pillar which had been supporting him.

The monster or Youma stayed silent for a moment. "... Do you wish me to investigate something specific, Master?"

He closed his eyes in response. "... Find the source of this ... event ..."

His eyelids opened again to see the sea. It still had no apparent change, calm and submissive, as if only him did feel such a 'thing'.

And then, to mind came a possibility, and although it seemed to be small, it wasn't impossible. He felt a mild euphoria, perhaps a hint of an illusion that for years had been hidden from the view of others in the palace, and which he only shared with his ruler.

He sighed, mainly to control such feelings, and subsequently ordered "Hyouki, fly towards Kyokai"

Without even saying anything more, and anticipating its master's plans, the monster only gave an affirmative answer before his head disappeared from the darkness of his shadow, and it came back again to have only his figure.

"Master"

A voice, this time soft and almost maternal, peered through his silhouette. This time, the shadow took the form of a winged creature.

"Kaiko" he said, recognizing the Nyokai immediately.

The figure, compared to the previous Youma, didn't show up its body through the darkness, but merely remained in the shadows. The soft and impassive voice, came out slowly once again "His Majesty wishes to see you urgently"

The Kirin felt some concern in the back of his mind, due to the call of the Queen.

"As her Majesty wishes..." he replied closing his eyes as he began to walk, somehow hurriedly but also conscious to maintain his usual façade and thus not alter any minister, toward the road to the royal rooms.

The residences or private rooms of Kei-Ou in the Kinpa Palace were called Choraku-den, which were separated from the conservatory or Ka-den and the rest of the palace by a fairly large wooded park, where a wall with large door divided the big garden halfway.

He had been walking towards the Royal Court in order to monitor the activity that morning, and had reached the outskirts of the opposite end of the Conservatory, the part that was closer to the garden, so it would take only a few minutes to reach the imperial room.

Indeed, crossing the wall that divided the park, and then the door to the Choraku-den, took less time than he had anticipated. Also, inadvertently after a blink, he noticed he had unconsciously reached the gates of the Royal Room of the Ruler of Kei.

He took a deep breath before knocking, and as he heard an affirmative answer, pushed the wood and entered the place he had been called to.

"Ah, Keiki"

Inside, there wasn't only Kei-Ou, with her red hair waving by his clothes, which weren't the common dresses she used to wear inside the Palace, but a peasant costume. He concluded then that Youko would go out of the Palace again.

Beside the bed where the Queen was sitting, sword in hand, was a Taika that several years before had become one of the most trusted servants of the Queen. He thought her name was Suzu, although he couldn't exactly remember.

Next to the black-haired girl, was an older maid, which also had often served as confidant to Youko, called (if he remembered well) Gyokuyo.

Responding instinctively, He bowed to his Ruler, and then with a slight gesture of his face greeted her companions, who returned the courtesy.

The redhead closed her eyes as she tightened up his right hand around Suiguutou, the sword that along with Hekisoujo, the miraculous gem, formed the Imperial Treasury of the Kingdom.

"Suzu, Gyokuyo. I want to be alone with Keiki " the woman said with somehow hoarse voice, which made the Kirin became unrest to a possible next decision of the monarch.

The women nodded their heads (the youngest a bit undecided) and left the area with a slight sound of the door.

Keiki stared at Youko's sword between her hands "Thinking of going out the Palace, Your Majesty...?"

The Queen stood up and thrust her sword in the sheath that was tied around her waist. She walked to the window, where she had the cage with the bird she asked to carry her letters to Ko, the place her biggest confidant and friend, a half-beast or also called hanjyuu, was heading to.

"Yes ... I'll take a look at the southern provinces with Hankyo, then pass by the Wa Province to pick up Enho." The girl said with firm but remarkably gentle voice. Keiki stayed silent for a moment.

With a somehow subtle gesture, Youko opened the cage and the bird immediately jumped to the girl's forearm, with a note already attached to its little paw. Subsequently, she decided to release the bird into the sky outside the window frame, the animal took the opportunity to leave immediately.

Watching every movement his Ruler, the Kirin confessed "... I guess that's not the only reason why I was called, am I right, Your Majesty?"

Youko gave a small smile, however, Keiki could foresee that it had no feeling of happiness. "I see that you know more about me than you appear to, Keiki"

"It has been several years and enough to be capable of that, Your Majesty" replied the other, bowing slightly to see the girl's eyes, which now remained serious.

"Maybe you're right"

She drew her sword and put it before her and the Kirin. He could sense the distant traces blood smell invading his senses, and despite them being bearable, Keiki went back a few steps.

"I'm sorry about that..." Youko said while returning her gaze to him, but the Kirin shook his head.

"Do not worry about that, Your Majesty" he said slowly, in order to make himself seem sure about his statement.

Youko paused a moment, and then stared at the sword. Her eyes, lost in the glare of the metal, were filled with confusion and inquietude.

"Keiki ..."

But what caught his attention was her attitude. It was something he hadn't seen in over 15 years. Now, it passed through her face, like it had through him when he was giving orders to Hyouki.

An illusion was being reincarnated, but he couldn't know exactly what it was.

The Queen's emerald eyes met his, as she declared:

"I had a vision"

* * *

The missing piece, left a huge void.

Black, which now mingled with a slight light beam of white that filled the landscape with almost maddening slowness. Dark clouds and almost sinister trees in the shadows completed the picture.

The wind combined with the heavy breathing, and dark ambient fused with hair of the same color.

But that was not all. Fine drops slipped from heaven and came to rest in the grass, inn rocks, in plants, in the face, in the strange clothes and torn, weak legs and arms, all that could be seen.

However, all that those eyes could see, which brightness could not be felt, was just black.

What was that light? What were those plants? What was the rain? What was the body? What were the hands, legs, feet?

Black again. Completely empty. Zero memoirs, nor any slightest recollection whatsoever.

But the emptiness prevailed against all.

The cold drops slid to the grass surrounding the silhouette carried by the waves to the shore, which was devastated, tired, and empty.

Strange sounds, shadows of monsters flitting between the 'plants', which already seemed no such thing. No knowledge about that world or whatsoever, and yet, no memory of a different one.

The noises were increased as the desperate, violent riots of the creatures reached, vile, vicious sounds of terrible beings fervently seeking fresh meat.

As a natural instinct, any would run. But the weakness exceeded the remaining force, and there was no movement.

Thoughts of cruel death came, about being under sharp fangs of a monstrous creatures while life slipped away.

But soon steps broke in. Light seeped from the starry sky. Quiet, slowly, their sound filled the place.

A strange shadow, eyes fixed on the silhouette, blurred vision.

Life persisted.

* * *

**All for now! Becoming good uh? Anyway, leave a review if you like = D**

**READ&COMMENT**


	7. Chapter V

**NEW CHAP (yay!) Here you go!**

**Note. I don't own the TWELVE KINGDOMS T.T (sadly)**

* * *

**Capítulo V:**

As he saw the port peeking over the horizon, now very damaged by the conditions of the Kingdom, but still standing thanks to the combined efforts of the people from the city, he turned his head and said softly:

"We've reached the port of Agan."

After a while of receiving no response, he sighed in frustration again. He had lost count of how many times he'd repeated the same operation again and again all the way: to make a simple comment, such as "this is a very clear sky", just to try and start a conversation with his companion.

However, in exchange he always got a wave of uncomfortable silence that was slowly consuming his patience, which he'd always considered abundant in himself.

He turned his eyes for a moment to the little feet behind. The steps, quiet and shy, almost lost their own sound among the others of the morning. Also, absently, the innocent eyes turned from one thing to another with incredible curiosity, almost as if it manifested the lack of knowledge about every living being around. Of course, the little person had grown accustomed to his half-beast appearance, so everything else could be the new target for recognition.

Then, he looked back to the ceilings on the horizon, in direction of Agan, thankful that the sky had no clouds that called the monsters to possibly attack them.

As he got closer to the city, he turned to look at the small kid behind him, and with a sigh he remembered the promise made to his mother.

* * *

"You want me to do WHAT?!"

"Shhh, Rakushun! Not so loud, you'll be heard!" The woman whispered. She had lived many years, but was as energetic as ever.

The half-beast turned desperately in circles trying to come up with the best words to tell his mother, "But Mother, you have to understand!" He said in a little lower voice.

"No, Rakushun" The woman said shaking her head, then she looked out throught the window of the humble little house. "I will not change my mind."

The house was quite simple but comfortable. Slightly humble but cozy. Her mother had always put her all to keep the house standing, giving it her kind touch, that had always made him feel at home.

Near the window was a small bedside table, where lay a small handkerchief with money that Rakushun brought to his mother regularly. Next to it, was a small triangle shaped ornament, made with leaves from the trees near the house and tied with spikes that emerge only occasionally in autumn. It was a handmade object, but still he had to admit it was nice to look at.

Rakushun sighed trying to calm down, in order to let his objectivity flow and try to convince. "Listen Mother, I can't take her with me ..." He turned his gaze to the window.

Outside, there was a girl, about 9 or 10 years old, dark hair over her shoulders, tirelessly picking something up among the trees in spring, full of bright colors, very typical of that time of the year, but unfortunately withering because of the situation in there.

The half-beast turned to the woman as he sat down. "She's too young to travel that far. What if something happened?"

"I know that you won't let anything happen, Rakushun. I have faith in you" She said with a broad smile, which the half-beast hadn't seen in a while.

Rakushun rubbed one of his paw against his snout in frustration, "Alright Mother, but there are things that I can't defend her from. Youma, for example ... "

"I don't think there will be a problem with that. Lately they only appear in the south and the coast. Furthermore, the weather has been very clear, so it's also less likely to encounter them on your way "said the woman, almost enjoying answering back to her son.

"Even with that, don't you think she'd be safer here with you? After all, if anything appears you can simply take refuge under the Yaboku nearby"

It made sense. The Yaboku was a tree that gave the fruit or ranka from which were born Youma or monsters, animals and plants, and for due reason no creature could damage it.

"That's not the point Rakushun" she said with some kind of severity "The Kaikyaku must know of this world in order to survive. She will live many more years than you and me. She won't have us forever "

"But I don't think I should take her to Kei, where I'm traveling through the sea. The road is extremely dangerous and ... "

"Well, I don't think Youko would want to loose you like that, would she?"

The half-beast jumped. He was sure that, if he had been in his human form, he would have a really noticeable blush. "That's not the point!"

The woman laughed. But then seriousness filled her face again. Her voice sounded somewhat severe, but also calm and smooth.

"Rakushun, listen. I found this little girl abandoned on the shores of the Kingdom. She knows nothing of the world or anyone, completely alone" She sighed and looked distantly at her son's eyes "At first, she couldn't even show emotions, nor did she know many of the things that any child would know as the palm of their hands. But as time passed, I began to think differently ..."

She stopped. At the door, standing, was the little kid, with a bouquet of colorful flowers that she coyly held in her hands, which she gave the woman. Rakushun was going to say something to his mother, but a shy and scared gesture and a flower from the girl shushed him.

She smiled at the little kid "Thank you" the she gently stroked her head, pointing another room in the house, "Why don't you prepare the table, while I finish talking to my stubborn son?"

"Mother!" claimed Rakushunalmost instantly. He tried to tell her with his eyes that there was no point talking to the kid, because the girl couldn't understand their language being a Kaikyaku, a person from another world.

However, she just nodded with shyness, seeming a little frightened by the presence of half-beast, and disappeared through a nearby door.

Rakushun stared toward door for a while. "... Huh ..." He glanced at his mother, and then turned back to the door "... Huh ...? ¿... Eh ...? "

"I was also surprised the first time," said the woman, resting her elbows on a close table.

Rakushun looked at his mother's eyes. "... Taika ...?"

The woman nodded. Rakushun dropped into his seat with a thud as he placed a paw on his nose again.

"I thought ..." confessed the half-beast "... that there weren't any remaining Taika in Kou after the tragedy in Kasai"

The woman sighed. Rakushun believed that tears coming out of her eyes were momentarily invisible. He paused.

"...That's another reason why you should take her with you" her eyes wandered between the panes of the window "Because of the terrible situation of the Kingdom and the Civil Wars, I think the hatred remains. To be honest, I don't think I could bear another hunt..."

She stopped, seeing the girl again hidden in the portal of the door, so she approached her.

The woman smiled as she stroked her dark hair. "So I beg you, Rakushun ..." the woman looked at her son's eyes "Promise me you'll take Shiruku to Kei."

The half-beast stared at her, her tired expression charged with ages and experience, mixing with the real supplication. After a long period of silence, he understood his obligation to respond:

"I... promise..."

* * *

But just then, he was starting to believe that he could possibly have been wrong in not doing more emphasis on the vulnerability of both when the time came.

"You better hold on me" he said to the girl, whose eyes peered at him from the light-colored bandana on her head "You don't want to get lost when you enter the city, many immigrants go through Agan all the time"

Shiruku, that was the little girl's name, took his paw after some hesitation. Rakushun did a couple of steps.

"...Why...?"

"Huh?"

He turned almost immediately to look at the girl's eyes.

"What... did you say...?"

Shiruku had a slight fit of shyness and then she lowered her gaze.

Rakushun was actually astonished. She never said a word since they left home. His mother had said she spoke very little, but so far he'd not really heard her voice well. Well, after all, she was Taika.

The half-beast made a slight gesture to show his apologies "Sorry. It just surprised me. You don't talk very often, do you? "

Shiruku nodded slowly in response while Rakushun scratched his fur a bit, considering whether or not to tell the truth to someone so young.

"Um ... You see ... The situation in the Kingdom isn't very good right now ..."

The half-beast gave a pitiful gaze over some people who were leaning against the walls of the houses. Now they were starving, scared, besieged by monsters and natural disasters. "All because there is no king on the throne ..." he said with a serious voice, which aroused the curiosity in the small girl. Seeing her puzzled look, Rakushun continued "The Kingdom needs a king to live in peace. But right now it's impossible for one to appear..." He sighed. "Someday you'll understand."

They continued walking through the lots of refugees struggling to get something to eat, the homeless, the selfish that couldn't give anyone else a piece or a crumb of bread. In fact, people trying to make a living in the any possible way.

Rakushun observed with growing shame what his home had become, his Kingdom. Kou had fallen very low...

All for not having King...

"LET'S SAIL!"

He reacted. When did they reached the port? He'd been so distracted that he didn't notice. The boats and people were crowded into a large conglomerate, desperate and demanding, pushing each other.

He sighed. "Well, it's time... Huh?"

Left? Right? Where...?

"SHIRUKU?!"

Very bad.

* * *

"Grrr ..."

Surprised, she touched the little animal wirh her hands, which mewed gently wounded by one of its sides, a cut running through the soft fur.

She took a handkerchief given by the nice lady who had taken cared for her, and tied it around the torso of the little animal. It licked her fingers slightly and then she took it in her arms.

The animal was a totally strange creature. Apparently, his muzzle and pointed ears seemed feline, but the canine appearance stood up for everything else, even despite its remarkably reddish, stripped coat. She wondered what kind of animal it was, but figured she could just ask Mr. Rakushun.

By the way... Where had he gone to?

It was true that she had taken a different path, so she tried to remember her steps backwards. Turned from alley to another, one, two, three. The streets, full of unfamiliar faces and crowds giving plaintive moans she couldn't understand. There she realized that she had disobeyed the recommendation of hanjyuu.

She was lost.

Her frightened eyes traveled between the doors, between roads and tracks. Person by person, their faces seemed to be all the same. Shadows on the sides, of which she knew nothing of.

Despair began to surface in her chest and fear became quite large. Her legs began to walk on their own, and not too long after, terrible ideas prompted her to run towards anywhere possible, to get a place to hide and then wait there. After all, she was sure that Mr. Rakushun would come for her. She had trust him ...

"Hey, Kid!"

Suddenly, she felt her clothes were thrown backwards and fought to maintain balance as she looked with fear to the an unfortunate, malnourished man's face, but strong enough to hold her. His clothes were mere rags, and his whole being cried poverty.

The man, whose eyes bordered madness and psychosis, held her clothes tightly with both hands "You've got food, haven't you?! That's why you were running! "

Shiruku shuddered. She hadn't seen a human being so desperate in her short life, and didn't know of the existence of such a feeling in them. She couldn't understand, nor would she be able to understand what the man was feeling in that moment.

The silence and perplexity from the girl eventually increased the paranoia in the man "How cruel ..." he blurted, while his left hand firmly took the back of her neck, and then so did the other on the opposite side of it, keeping her from breathing. She squirmed instantly, but could not get air into her lungs, "I'm starving too... Share..."

Shiruku released small animal, which ran down an alley. However, she could hardly see anything, so its fled wasn't perceived by her. On the other hand, she realized that she was alone.

_"I... I'm scared..."_ she thought in her mind. _"Mr. Rakushun... Someone... please..."_ She looked up for someone around, but the tears in her eyes made it very difficult. Her vision began to blur and everything looked blurry. She tried to get rid of the hands of man clawing them, but it was no use.

"Injustice... Injustice..." he said, completely out of control, ignoring the condition of the child, his hands added more strength to their grip.

Everything was spinning. White. Without air. Breathing. Her strength begining to leave...Suddenly, she felt her clothes were thrown backwards and fought to maintain balance as she looked with fear to the an unfortunate, malnourished man's face, but strong enough to hold her. His clothes were mere rags, and his whole being cried poverty.

The man, whose eyes bordered madness and psychosis, held her clothes tightly with both hands "You've got food, haven't you?! That's why you were running!"

Shiruku shuddered. She hadn't seen a human being so desperate in her short life, and didn't know of the existence of such a feeling in them. She couldn't understand, nor would she be able to understand what the man was feeling in that moment.

The silence and perplexity from the girl eventually increased the paranoia in the man "How cruel ..." he blurted, while his left hand firmly took the back of her neck, and then so did the other on the opposite side of it, keeping her from breathing. She squirmed instantly, but could not get air into her lungs, "I'm starving too... Share..."

Shiruku released small animal, which ran down an alley. However, she could hardly see anything, so its fled wasn't perceived by her. On the other hand, she realized that she was alone.

"_I... I'm scared..._" she thought in her mind. "_Mr. Rakushun... Someone... please..._" She looked up for someone around, but the tears in her eyes made it very difficult. Her vision began to blur and everything looked blurry. She tried to get rid of the hands of man clawing them, but it was no use.

"Injustice... Injustice..." he said, completely out of control, ignoring the condition of the child, his hands added more strength to their grip.

Everything was spinning. White. Without air. Breathing. Her strength begining to leave...

_**"I won't be afraid"**_

Huh? What was that? Her head was a jumble. The figure of someone young... Who was it...?

_**"We'll meet again"**_

"SHARE WITH ME!"

Suddenly, the hands around her neck let it go, allowing a deep breath to happen almost automatically. It took a while to accustom her eyes again, but she could see that the skiny man was trown to a wall, even though at that moment he looked more like a shadow.

"ENOUGH!" Sentenced a man's thick voice near her, toward the other.

As soon as she could see normally again, she easily distinguished a muscular man in front of her. He had brown skin, face, features and figure quite firm and stern. She was surprised by all the well developed muscles in her body, but what impacted her most was his expression contracted in anger.

"NO ONE can fall SO LOW as to steal a child!" Said the man. The other person who had threatened her before, writhed negligibly under his shadow, trembling as he struggled with himself, falling over and over again, trying to escape, until he finally managed to do it.

The huge man, on the other hand, instead of inciting more violence than the one had caused already, turned and crouched beside the surprised little girl. From his shoulder, the little animal she had rescued before jumped into her lap.

"Thanks to this small guy, I could get here. You're lucky" he said while a big hand gently passed over the tiny animal's head, and then the other stroked the girl's head.

Her reaction took a long time. The surprise and gratitude couldn't inmediately overcome the fear felt before, so just the gesture of the man helped to calm her. She noticed that the severity that she thought she had seen before, became nobility.

A small smile accompanied with a slight murmur came from her "... Thanks..."

The man was surprised, but then he just scratched his head with little embarrassment. "No need to thank me. I was just doing the right thing"

He turned so that his back came in front of her. Shiruku observed without fully understanding his action, nor the reason for it at the time.

"Up" said the man. The confusion in the girl was remarkable, so he continued "I'll help you get to the port. That's where you're going, right?"

She nodded without hesitation, but not quite understanding what "Up" meant. By instinct rather than knowledge, her small arms wrapped around his neck, in a rather timid way. With a small leap and to her surprise, the man took her legs from either side of his torso and began to walk.

She wondered about that way to load up a person, which she'd never seen. Then, she considered that she still didn't know many things, maybe later she could ask Mr. Rakushun... if they did find him in the crowd that appeared in front of them.

"By the way, you haven't told your name" He said after a while "Nor me, I guess." He laughed somehow embarrassed.

She hesitated, but then muttered "... Shiruku..." She'd not entirely overcome her shyness, but began to feel some confidence with that person.

"Umm..." he said, smiling, while the sun and the sound of the sea came up, both at the same moment "Shiruku, Huh? Cute name. You know? You remind me of my younger brother when he was little "

The girl looked at his face. She asked herself about the identity of the person who was his brother, who made him wear a nostalgic look like that.

"But he's now in Kei..." he mentioned, as he approached the lot of people.

"...Kei...?" she muttered, now in a clear voice, more secure.

"Ah, yes, He is there. Is that where you're heading? What a coincidence!" He expressed, about to enter the crowds " In fact, I am looking for someone who is going to K ... "

"SHIRUKU!"

"Huh?"

Appearing suddenly with all bristling, disheveled fur as if he had run a marathon, Rakushun stood up in front of them, apparently quite upset.

"... Mr. Rakushun...!" She exclaimed in surprise, but in a very low tone.

"Huh?" The man said, looking up and down at the hanjyuu, while the other did the same. "Oh! Rakushun?! "

Rakushun stared with narrowed eyes, as if he was trying to remember "No way ..." he said as he approached lightly "Koshou?!"

"I can't believe it!" With this exclamation, the man gvae firm hug to hanjyuu, who tried to wriggle out of it. Shiruku, stunned, struggled not to fall off his back.

"Koshou, enough!" Rakushun cried, somewhat embarrassed, "What are you doing here?"

The man let go of the hanjyuu "Is not it obvious? Accompany you back to Kei! "

Rakushun sighed "... I already told Youko that I don't need any escort to Kei..."

"Of course you need it" the man said firmly "I even brought a pair of Kijyuu"

"What? But it was not necessary..."

"Of course it is." Sentenced Koshou, leaving no opportunity for the other to finish the sentence.

Shiruku, feeling completely lost, noticed the seriousness that suddenly flooded the man's face.

"The Jyouyou are destroying everything"

* * *

"I told you I have no idea what you're talking about"

Her firm voice reached the other men in there, still surprised by the stubborn woman with her arms crossed, standing still on the door and staring impassively and furious, appearing younger than she actually was.

A man in battle armor, with two huge swords strapped to his belt, smiled at the woman. He was their leader.

"We just want to dispel rumors that haunt the city. It is not our intention to... "

"I know what your intentions are" interrupted the woman "But you won't find anything in this house"

The man did a longish pause before even realizing he had lost his smile. "Calm down a bit please. You know that we are not the bad guys ... "

"If that were true, there would be no need to spill as much blood as the Youma"

CRASH.

A vase that had been on the small table near them broke, apparently, by the action of one of the men. She became willing to berate his act.

"Sorry," he said, totally faking "I didn't see where I was going"

She gave him a menacing look, which apparently made the man uncomfortable because he turned trying to look as if he was going to continue the search.

"I said there's nothing in this house!" cried the woman, violently, to the man with two swords behind her "You guys have no right to invade my property! OUT! "

"Easy, easy" answer the man, raising his hands and giving signals to other comrades to withdraw. "We were just playing. You know the seriousness of hosting Kaikyaku... and even more Taika..."

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

The lady took a broom, ready way to attack. The man smiled as he backed away slowly through the entrance. He took a few steps back and his smile became a malevolent grin.

"You should take care, madam. If you ever lose the protection of Kei-ou, who knows, someone might attack you..."

"I SAID GET LOST!" Reiterated the woman, before trowing the door with all the strength her arm could give her.

That fact was something that she would never talk to Rakushun, not wanting him to worry about her. However, thanks to Youko, the current ruler of Kei, who had discovered it inn a surprise visit, the woman was safe for now.

The lady sank into one of the furniture. Despair, sadness and anguish were taking her lifetime away. She just wished she could live long enough to see the coronation of a new king.

A king, for a wounded Kingdom, where lots of blood had been shed. But for now, she could only pray.

"Rakushun, be careful"

* * *

**YEP. That's it. The new chap is already done, however, the only thing left is to translate it to English. But right now, I feel a biiig wave of inspiration through me, big enough to write at least one or two more chapters of this story right now, so I think for the next chap to appear, it will take quiiite a time {:-D (don't kill me please O.o)**

**AAAAAAAAAAAnyway!**

**READ & COMMENT!**


	8. Chapter VI

**YAY! New chap!**

**Note. I don't own the TWELVE KINGDOMS! T-T**

* * *

**Capítulo VI:**

"This is a Sekiko"

"... A Sekiko ...?"

"Yes," said the hanjyuu stroking the fur of back of the small animal "It's a flying Youjyuu. People tend to tame them for transportation"

Rakushun glanced at the port, which now could be seen in the horizon. They had decided to rest in the nearby hillside, where there was a small bar whose owner was a very kind old woman, his mother's friend for many years. However, as she had said, the death of his son by the Youma gave the woman a hopeless sadness.

The half-beast turned his gaze to the small animal asleep in his soft fur. Shiruku was a little less than 30 inches away. "...This is a very young Youjyuu. It will take some time for it to grow enough..."

"... Ahh ..." he heard the girl say in response. Then a great silence presented itself.

The waiting for Koshou turned out to be long. The man had offered to pick up the Kijyuu he had left outside the port, in case someone tried to steal them to escape from Kou. It was understandable: as time passed, the desperation of the people became remarkable, so no one would waste such opportunity.

"... What is a Kijyuu...?" The girl asked again.

Rakushun understood quite well her little knowledge due to being Taika, so he assumed he still had a lot to teach her.

"A Kijyuu is the same as a Youjyuu. They are useful for transportation when properly tamed"

The girl nodded, slowly plotting another question in her mind.

"... What about the Hanjyuu and the Youma...?"

Rakushun smiled. Partly because she wondered about his species, but on the other hand, because he liked her talking more often. Perhaps he was slowly gaining her trust.

He laughed a little "Well, first of all ...I am a Hanjyuu..."

"... Huh?" She asked, not understanding.

He laughed again "The Hanjyuu are half-beast, with a human form and an animal form"

"Umm..." said the little girl "... So Mr. Rakushun can become human?"

He sighed "Yes, but I don't like being in that form very much. On the other hand, the Youma are something else..." His gaze turned somewhat grim before continuing "They are monsters that eat humans, so never go near any of them..."

Shiruku brought back her very few memories. That night, when she woke up on shore and was found, she'd heard noises and chilling chases through the woods. Terror she didn't know appeared in her chest.

She took with her right hand the cloths covering her chest, hoping to squeeze between those her beating heart "... Is... Is Jyouyou a monster too...?"

Rakushun stared. The half-beast could notice the great fear from the girl. He regretted having talked about Youma, so he just put one of his paws on her head, accompanied by caresses.

"You don't have to worry about it" He said calmly "Thanks to Koshou, we will not have to see those monsters. So there is nothing to be afraid of, ok?"

The girl nodded a little nervous. From the beginning and her first 'encounter' with supernatural creatures, she'd felt a growing feeling of uneasiness in her chest. It almost seemed as if something was missing...

_**"I won't be afraid"**_

She remembered. It was the voice that she had heard. The only memory of her life before losing her memory, and also the most mysterious...

"Alright!"

The powerful and outbound voice startled both. An energetic Koshou jumped from the creature he had been riding, which was tied to another a bit similar to the previous.

The first looked like a huge dog with blue fur except on its limbs, tail and ear tips, which showed a light color. The second beast on the other hand, looked a little alike the small animal she had rescued, similar to a huge red tiger or lion.

"Time to go!" Cried again the voice of the man.

"Calm down Koshou, no rush. Furthermore, we must travel a few hours to get there anyway" said Rakushun in a leisure manner, while he and the girl stood up, giving the little animal, now awake, to her.

The little one soon got into the folds of her shirt and snuggled again. She smiled shyly, not paying much attention to the conversation of the other two present, until they mentioned...

"... At least we will not have to worry much about Jyouyou as long as we travel through the sky"

The voice and the sentence from Koshou confused her greatly for some reason. It wasn't exactly that she doubted the truth in his words, rather, she felt something missing in them. Something that they weren't telling her.

She decided though, for that moment, to leave her doubts aside, seeing the half-beast already on the back of the creature that resembled a dog, while Koshou decided to stay down to help her up.

Shiruku hesitated because of the look of the reddish beast, beside the giant dog. Koshou noticed her slight fear of the Kijyuu.

He raised a hand with the intention of caressing her head "No need to worry! It's all bark and no bite..."

She stepped back suddenly, almost instantly, as if by instinct, feeling the hand over the front of her head.

"Uh... I'm sorry... Is something wrong?" Koshou said, still surprised by her reaction.

It took her some time to respond, shaking her head. The man only nodded with some curiosity before helping her climb up the beast on which was Rakushun, who wrapped her body with his furry arms, with which he held the reins of Kijyuu.

Shiruku was grateful she hadn't had to explain her reasons, because she really didn't have any. They had already caressed her head in many occasions, but when Koshou's kind, strong hand passed over her forehead...

She wasn't able to describe it. It had been a big hassle, almost like someone pressed back her head with just a touch.

"Are you okay?" Said Rakushun, right before the beasts left the ground.

"Yes ..." she answered, surprised not to notice when they had started flying.

For a long stretch, fatigue slowly took her eyelids and closed them.

It all went black.

* * *

The sounds of the palace were becoming less familiar. The surroundings, the grounds and rooms were alien and distant, so little equal, but unrecognizable each of them.

The caresses on her hair also could be felt the same way, so small and unfamiliar that they seemed a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, the love and affection from the figure next to her, a woman with salient parts of her body similar to those of a beast, could at least take off some dismay.

Time passed very slowly, as the days and years amounted increasingly the discouragement. Not even the sound of approaching nature through the halls could heal that feeling.

However, her master would. Her King.

Closing her eyes, a sweet melody came out of her being.

Discrete steps, accurate, and smooth sounds that might seem a little bit recognizable, calmly presented. On the other hand, it was a different world, possibly due to the great time away from home, and away from the palace and the King.

"That's a beautiful song"

The firm and gentle voice suddenly flooded her senses. As a disease, relief spread through her body, from tip to tip. That was the cure to all that sorrow.

The figure of a beautiful person: profiled nose, light hair perfectly arranged under the ceremonial adornments, graceful facial features, great and heavenly dressed image.

A gentle smile, pleasant, not at all exaggerated, and at the same time refined, appeared on the King's face, as he took a seat beside her on the elegant bed with cashmere soft fabrics. Soon, with a sound somewhat scary for anyone not used to it, the Nyokai disappeared into the shadows.

The Kirin's head moved slightly to touch with the elegant horn, the monarch's delicate hand. The King soon started caressing the head of the Taiho.

A prominent voice, like a bell, but also full of exhaustion and sadness, came from the creature.

"I'm glad you like it..." Hanrin mentioned, while her eyes fixed on her King "I learned it in Hourai, and I wanted to show it to you..."

Go Ranjou paused, and then gently caressed her head with his characteristic elegance.

"For now you must rest, my princess"

Then, the sleepiness kissed her eyelids, and she fell asleep peacefully beside the King of Han.

* * *

_The moonlight comes from the sun..._

The dark eyes fixed on the edge. On one hand, a world, in the other, a different one. Sadness in both.

_...The sun divides it into two halves..._

A life in a world, a life in another, they were not very different. Dreams and sorrows were combined into one, going together through the longest journey to take: The fate. However, this one would change forever. And meanwhile, his feeling would reflect in his paint.

However, there was another being. Someone blur, a completely different person, and yet strikingly familiar. Anxiety began to show up.

_...Bringing hope to my being..._

Well, he didn't belong there. Restlessness. His place was elsewhere, but his life at that moment was there. But still he harbored a bright light that would not go away, fragments of a forgotten song, maybe someone in the past that he could not remember.

_...Peace will return..._

For the moment, he remained living and dreaming, dreams like this one.

* * *

The firm steps, heading to the palace garden, clearly resonated among the aisles. They were in no hurry, nor did they have feelings different from calmness.

The ceremonial robes danced in the shadows of each of the pillars of Genei palace, slowly, in the wind of the sea of clouds. No noise other than his footsteps could be heard, and to be honest, He had no intention of keeping quiet.

Simply put, it just kept him distracted while he was slightly bored of waiting. He had recently returned from one of his trips of enjoyment in the small cities of the Kingdom, receiving, as always, complaints from his ministers, which he largely ignored.

In short, there was no much to do in that spring. The ministers were responsible of overseeing almost all the work, so all he could do was to stare at the ceiling.

Of course, he had to remember that his only distraction was busy.

He paused. The characteristic sound of glasses clinking together invaded his ears, and soon the familiar rattle and jogging sound made him go a few steps closer to the garden.

_"Speaking of the King of Mount Hou"_ He thought, a common expression in the kingdom.

There, a creature appeared. The mixture, as he commonly said, between a horse and a deer, but yet with that sacred and pure appearance. The golden hair constantly moved in the wind, while the Kirin proceeded with his elegant trot to where he was.

He waited a bit, then said energetically "So! It was about time you finally decided show up!"

"Shut up..." said a voice coming from the creature while it lay down on the grass.

"Um..." he said as he removed one cloth from his clothes "You seem to be having a bad day, Rokuta" He then placed the cloth on the Kirin.

A cold gust kicked something under the cloth, and soon, the creature had become a boy, something small, with slightly tousled golden hair. His gaze, on the other hand, looked clearly exhausted.

He sat next to Kirin, who stared at him for a few seconds, with his eyelids about to close and remarkable dark circles below his eyes.

"It's not your problem," replied evasively Rokuta, purposely lying in the monarch's lap.

He sighed. He couldn't ignore the fact that his Kirin would never perform such action in normal situations. "Well, considering I was the one that let you go on the search, I think I deserve to know the details"

He stayed silent, breathing slowly on the lap of his king. However, his tired voice came after a short time:

"We fulfilled the mission"

Hearing that, the young man's voice became slightly surprised "Really? I guess happiness came to Mount Hou..."

"Not quite..." replied Rokuta, closing his eyes "Just one..." he curled up in his clothes, getting more and more comfortable among the many clothes.

A long silence covered the place. The king waited patiently for the Taiho to mention the words he felt were necessary to complete the above. Thus, the Kirin soon continued:

"Their faces..." he said as he looked at the King of En seriously "... were disappointed..."

Then the Kirin turned and pulled the cloth over him. The king sighed, as he fixed his eyes to the sky, and said softly:

"Rokuta, each day you look more like a child that someone of more than 630 years old"

"Shoryuu..." The Kirin said, while falling asleep from fatigue "You're an idiot"

* * *

Slowly, her eyes opened. The wind rubbing her face hadn't awakened her, but the first drops of rain of storm did. Moving a bit, she recalled their position. They were flying.

Rakushun seemed to realize "Oh, I'm sorry the rain woke you up" Then, the half-beast pulled with a paw a small rudimentary coat his mother had prepared from a bag, placing it in her shoulders with a kind gesture "With this, there shouldn't be much trouble"

Shiruku thanked him somewhat softly as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Soon Koshou's powerful voice reached her ears:

"We will go through a storm as quickly as we can, so hold on tight"

The hanjyuu nodded and soon after she also did, taking precautions by adding more strength to her clinging on the Kijyuu they were riding.

"Oh, and one more thing ..." Koshou said, with a rather serious tone in his voice, in addition to its serious hint "Don't, by any means, get close to the sea"

"Understood," replied Rakushun without much hesitation. His companion on the other hand, was not convinced.

She'd thought a bit before falling asleep, feeling that there was something that both Koshou and Rakushun hadn't commented. Maybe it wasn't on purpose, and if she asked, they could answer. On the other hand, there was the obstruction of her age. Being so young, it was common to think it was better to hide something than to worry her.

But that only increased her concern.

"Um... Mr. Rakushun..." she said, somewhat shy, as she began to feel cold because of the raindrops.

"Is something wrong?" He asked with his eyes fixed in the horizon.

"No ..." she quickly shook her head "I just..." she hesitated a bit before continuing, in a timid voice, "Why is it we can't get close to the s...?"

"RAKUSHUN, LOOK OUT!"

Spins. The rain covered her eyes and she couldn't see exactly what had happened. She was only sure the huge thunder almost burst her eardrums. She could feel that the beast staggered by strong currents of air and water, which further made her dizzy.

"Shiruku, hold on tight!" Shouted Rakushun near her, loud enough for her to hear through the lightning and thunders around them.

"THIS WAY!" The unmistakable, powerful voice from Koshou came up, even in a situation like that.

She achieved to spot through her narrowed eyes silhouette of the man, struggling to control the Kijyuu he was riding. Soon, he succeeded. Both beasts, following orders from their masters, soared into the sky as fast as possible.

"WE MUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Koshou shouted, beckoning Rakushun to follow him. The half-beast, with little knowledge about riding Kijyuu, obeyed the better he could.

Shiruku spotted from the corner of her eye more lightning, turning violently and falling with a thud on the revolted seas.

There, a huge swirl of water, big enough to form a colossal Tsunami, started moving strangely. The waves began to grow more and more in seconds.

Soon, something else began to move. Shiruku observed a giant shadow, almost crawling and pushing through like a snake, among the great whirlpool. Scales were coming out slightly breaking the water currents.

"What... what is...?" she cried, feeling her heart pounding.

"HURRY!" Shouted Koshou strongly, turning his gaze back. The beasts also began to move around desperate, pulling them in all directions, while both riders tried to control them to scape.

From the ocean, from the water, piercing golden eyes were visible. With a loud, supernatural roar, a colossal sized creature came out. It had a long body that resembled a snake combined with a huge dragon, covered with scales, as it let out a scary, terrible roar.

"A JYOUYOU!" Cried Rakushun while fighting, trying his best to guide the Kijyuu away from the place where the monster appeared.

"GET AWAY FROM OCEAN! GO EAST!" Shouted Koshou, while the huge sea serpent expulsed lightings through its pointy, sharp ears.

Electric currents combined with the ocean, creating a nightmare.

Shiruku didn't hear what the two riders were saying to each other's. All she could perceive with her ears was her desperate heart beat and the roar of a terrifying beast.

A monster. A Youma ...

"AHHHHH!"

The scream from Koshou caught her attention. Thunders and lighting began to dance among Kijyuu evilly, and one almost had hit the man. Rakushun couldn't concentrate on that, but on dodging the electrical giants that threatened the Kijyuu they were riding.

"MR. KOSHOU...!" she finally managed to shout out, seeing that the red Kijyuu lost altitude in its flight.

"I'M ALRIGHT!" Shouted the man, with one hand holding his right arm "QUICKLY!"

The Kijyuu, following their natural instinct, managed to overcome with admirable speed all the thunders and lightings, making their scape slowly possible, though with some difficulty. Shiruku could not help but look back.

Her eyes widened.

There, amid the murky seawater and the piercing-eyed, gigantic monster, were small pieces of something brown...

No... Not that...

Sails. A mast. Screams. They were ships!

"No..." she said as they distanced themselves from the place.

The monster let out another terribly scary roar, and colossal thunders appeared all over the place. The snake suddenly plunged into the water, and a shadow began rounding up a few ships, while a giant wave formed by the plunge of the beast swept the ship decks.

Another giant whirlpool began to form soon. Subsequently one farthest soon appeared. Even more prominent scales cut water flow so abhorrently easy.

The tail of the first beast came up suddenly, and held onto one of the boats, instantly destroying the mast. The pressure set by the Youma soon began to break the ship into two parts. Then the terrible beast opened its mouth and swallowed suddenly, sinking with its prey in the water.

"NO!" Shiruku shouted, feeling a great blow to her heart. The screams could be heard clearly among all the noise "STOP IT!"

She began to squirm between the arms of the half-beast, who, realizing what was happening, tried to hold her as much as he could "WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" Shouted Rakushun, but she didn't give up.

"PLEASE, I BEG YOU!" Cried the girl, with tears coming from her eyes uncontrollably.

Soon, another lightning hit the water, another boat disappearing from view, between the string of desperate shouts and the sound of the roaring of the Youma.

"NOOOO!" She let out a piercing scream, which would last in Rakushun's mind for a long time, but still he wouldn't let her go.

"P-PLEASE! WE MUST RETURN!" She cried in despair, while a third stream of terrible cries reached his ears. She was moving vigorously, so Rakushun almost dropped her from the Kijyuu.

"IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GO BACK!" Shouted the half-beast seriously, while his fur bristled, despite being soaked.

"PLEASE...!"

The surprise interrupted the struggle of both.

"KOSHOU?!" Rakushun exclaimed, almost feeling his heart suddenly dropping.

The girl turned her head. The man was heading with his Kijyuu towards the ships, between blizzards and lightning, fully determined.

Shiruku felt her heart stop in those 10 seconds. The Youma appeared and disappeared among the restless flows of water, and two more boats suffered the fate of the first, leaving only a few struggling with the structure and the mast broken.

Koshou got close to one ship, almost like a rocket. There, he soon disappeared into the smoke caused by the impact of lightning.

"KOSHOU...!" Exclaimed Rakushun, when suddenly a lightning caused their Kijyuu to loose its balance, making him remember their own danger.

Dodging lightning, Shiruku breathlessly watched the boat, soon wrapped in the tail of many huge snakes. In that moment, she almost thought he would not make it. But a noise, a creak of wood, and the beast that came out as fast as possible, managed to restore her breathing.

The reddish Kijyuu Koshou was riding found difficult to recover the flight again. Using only one arm, Koshou managed to avoid the lightning and thunders falling on the stormy sea.

In his lap, beside him, lay the body of a man. At first glance, he only had burns, however, she thought his injury could be worse than the appreciable. In addition, an unpleasant, dry odor began to show up the more they approached, and she thought it was not at all familiar.

It made her dizzy.

More screams made her regain consciousness. The ships creaked, writhed, but a lot much the people on them. Those that were still alive screamed, asking for help, but they knew it was all over. There would be none.

Her tears were useless, and their cries would not be enough. Her heart would be broken in pieces caused by the death of all those people.

There would be no mercy in that Kingdom.

"NOOOOO!"

* * *

A bell? Diamonds? Crystals Destroying each other?

What was it? It sounded so strange and yet so familiar. What could it be?

Getting up quickly with the wind passed over the soft fur, the lower limbs began to move with despair. The arms, covered with scales, strongly argued on the nearest rock, causing lacerations on them due to the steel nails.

Something happened. Something was happening. Her instincts said so. There was a strange power, anxiety, fear, despair...

Cries...

A jump was done so easy it was almost abominable, using her strong limbs, to reach the tip of a rock, the highest of the mountains in Mount Hou.

She could feel it. Heading towards... towards the Kingdom of Kou...

Her eyes widened. Could it be ...?

Tears rolled down the eyes of Nyokai. They were just the verification of a connection reset, the strongest feeling of her species.

The Kirin's call.

* * *

**THAT'S IT! :P**

**It ended up being a little longer than usual :D Hope you like it!**

_**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**_

I'm making images of this story and I'm gonna publish them in my blog and my deviant (link in my profile). So keep cheeking to see it ;-)

**SEE YA!**


	9. Chapter VII

**Okay, first of all, I apologize for not having updated for so long. I wasn't sure if I could continue this story or not. However, due to really comforting comments, two chapters came out of my hands. TWO CAPS T.T**

**Thank you very much to all who read my story. Hope you like the more drama I am gonna add XD**

**NOTE: The Twelve Kingdoms isn't mine (unfortunately).**

* * *

**Chapter VII:**

Wind. Water. Ocean. Sounds melting into the horizon. The salt water was churning from one side to another behind the old and grimy concrete, covered with ropes and abandoned instruments.

Sunset. The orange and red were distinct yet inseparable in the picture. The grayish, black smoke coming out of the boats attacked mercilessly the few white clouds that were slowly dying.

Boats. Small dots sailed, swift on the far point of the sea , some closer than others , but in any case, far everyone. Rocked and they rolled on the water, as the breeze small roles controls his pleasure.

Calm. The tranquility spread unstoppable through the concrete floor, railings, road, light poles, and then came to him.

His dark eyes were fixed on the sunset, drawn to an almost supernatural and magnetic force. He watched emotionally the small sample of the supremacy of the sun.

When the last rays gave their final touches on the scene, a sweet melody immediately invaded the place. The shy symphony made its way through the empty road under the street light.

A slight marked the end of the song as the moon took the sky.

"That's a very beautiful song"

The shock, even though he had wanted to, could not be contained. He turned immediately to the source of the powerful and harmonious voice that had made the statement.

He, who had been sitting on the floor, looked up at the girl much older than him. She was a strange young woman, beautiful face and noticeable fragrance, who was wearing eccentric clothes that reminded him a little of those of ancient emperors of previous dynasties he had seen before in books.

He wondered whether that girl came from a theater that decided on a play about the Japanese Feudal Era, or from a party of the high options moved from his mind the idea of a likely insananity.

While he started getting over the initial surprise and covering the bruises on his arms with his coat, the girl came over to where he was, "Oh! Sorry if I scared you!" She exclaimed a little annoyingly to his liking "I really like that beautiful song. Any idea of the identity of the musician who composed it? Maybe I could hire for royal celebrations where I come from"

The child shook his head shyly, while staring at her in confusion. At the same time, the idea of madness increased.

"Umm... what a shame" she said, as she sat beside the boy, who couldn't remove his black eyes from her figure "And tell me... You got a name? I think I deserve to know how to call you"

There was no answer. Instead, appeared a long silence of distrust.

Noticing his doubts, she went on without even waiting patiently "I'll introduce myself first if you wish. Although I don't have a permanent name, but actually many..." She thought for some time, as if remembering her identity was as difficult as reminding the number of a credit card "Many call me Risetsu, and I must say that's a pretty name, don't you think?"

He didn't know why, but smiled slightly at the attitude the girl had. He doubted for a moment, but then his voice, in a soft and low tone, came out "I... I have no name really..."

She reacted helplessly surprised because of her obviously outgoing personality "Huh? What did you say?"

He regretted having talked, because in reality he wasn't used to it, but despite this situation he decided to continue, with a face full of a diffuse, sad expression. "I don't have a name ..."

The young woman at his side looked totally confused. He suddenly remembered the bruises on his arms and pulled the sleeves of his coat to cover them, before deciding to continue explaining.

"... At home... none of us have a name until parents come and give us one..." he said, his gaze lost between the intersection of the clothes of girl, the floor, and worn, old leather shoes of his "We... are called differently, acording to the date on which we were found ..."

The girl stayed silent for what seemed to be several seconds, as processing the information she had just obtained. Then her eyes filled up with a somewhat spirited sweetness, and they asked, having no need to talk: _'And how should I call you then?'_

The child was a little surprised, and responded with his cheeks a little flushed "Hachi ..."

"Well, it's a pleasure, Hachi!" She said, smiling childishly "It's a pretty cute name too," she said afterwards.

He couldn't help smiling lightly. She must have known perfectly, as everyone, that Hachi meant (literally) eight in Japanese, which symbolized that he had been found on Nov. 8th, and yet she said things like that...

"So, what about the song? Did you invent it yourself?"

His smile faded for a moment to be replaced by sadness "I don't know... I've been singing it since I can remember..." he said, gazing at the floor "But... you're the first person who tells me it's pretty..."

"Huh? Who could say it is not?" She asked curiously, almost indignant that anyone could do such a thing.

He didn't answer, only repeated the gesture of pulling the sleeves of his shirt. He wondered briefly if he had caused a bad impression on his companion. However, a big smile appeared on the lips of the girl, whose hair, which he had just noticed, was strangely clear and had a bright, golden color.

"Could you teach me?"

* * *

The shiny trail that has came out swiftly, like a bright carpet of heaven, began to disappear as soon as he landed in one of the roofs. The strong limbs made the roofs crack and removed some dust, which danced in the cold night wind.

The creature golden mane leaned forward slightly, before returning to jump with impressive speed, the skies. He landed again on another roof of a building even higher.

"Master"

The head with the elegant horn of the golden-haired creature turned to its own shadow, as the shape changed suddenly to a winged human figure.

The maternal voice came softly, shaking the tired body a little "Han Taihou and Ren Taihou are ready to return"

"... Understood ..." said the voice of the creature, however, somewhat exhausted, with a hint of despair.

The flight, due to the characteristics of Kirin, became fleeting, swift, silent. However, he had to admit the discouragement and disappointment grew dark in his heart, and prevented him from focusing on his surroundings.

Soon he arrived at the meeting point: The port. The graceful movements soon made him descend to the ground. There, he heard a little melody, distant, but familiar. It was the melody that the boy had been singing, while he headed back to the orphanage where he lived. But this time, it was sung by the last person he wanted to see.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little Kirin from the SO HIGHLIGHTED Kingdom of En "

He turned his head toward the figure standing there, while a voice came out "I'm surprised her MAJESTY of eccentricity deigns to step on this ground"

"Well, I prefer myself eccentric than a grumpy brat" answered the girl with golden hair, evasively and reluctantly, as she crossed her arms over her elegant clothes.

"Better than being a spoiled princes ..." he replied with the same attitude as her. He had wanted to continue with his speech to rebut the previous insult made by Risetsu, but a voice, this time much softer, interrupted.

"I wonder which how you two still have enough energy to fight with each other"

The elegant and beautifully dressed, tall and slender figure of the Taihou of the Kingdom of Ren appeared near them. Moreover, her eyes more than her fake smile, expressed the weariness and discouragement flooding the three.

Enki thought she would speak again with her delicate voice, but what came out of her was a sad symphony coming from a sacred being "It's time to leave..."

Afterwards, there was their departure and crossing from one world to another, to their arrival.

Enki knew it. Inside himself, he knew they had saved only one kingdom, and that another would soon perish.

* * *

She had watched the way the petals fell from the trees of Mount Hou. She had seen the fishes moving their tails from side to side to move through the water. She had listened for a few seconds the song of birds perched on nearby rocks.

She had spent the morning cleaning the temple and the surroundings, and also the commonly crowded places. She had helped the arrangement of the offerings to the gods, with special attention to those for Tentei.

She had even sang and prayed all she could with her fellow priestesses, and also tried to write and read the few stories that had crossed in front of her.

However, nothing could distract her. The euphoria moved to different locations, and emotion dominated a part of herself. But nevertheless, what didn't disappear was the paradoxical feeling of sadness in a part of herself.

She looked up. There, standing at the top of a steep peak, a monstrous figure could be seen. It was shaped as a woman, but its body also had parts of animals.

The silver-coated figure, reflecting the sun, made her divert her eyee gently, but she could still notice. The same emotion she felt: the euphoria that burned inside her and wanted a way out.

Was it bad, baing a little selfish...?

"Hinaru"

She reacted with a slight jolt. She turned suddenly toward the person with a bit of a bossy tone but at the same maternal.

"Superior Teiyei ..." she said, bowing politely, even a bit surprised. The priestess there had been in the temple for more than a hundred years.

"I need you to hurry. Extra hands are required to prepare the arrival of Ren Taihou, and the sooner the better. All of the Kingdom of Hou are looking forward to..."

The girl, without paying much attention, returned her gaze to the peak, now empty and only accompanied by the warm wind of the afternoon.

"Hinaru! Pay attention! "

"Y-yes sir!" she replied, somewhat nervous about the tone of order. Perhaps the superior was feeling a little nervous too "I ... I will help soon!"

"Very well" continued the other, turning to go through a hall, but stopped for a moment "One last thing..." she turned around again. Hina shuddered at the possibility of another order "Has the group this morning come back yet?"

Hina reacted a little late. She paused before replying "...Yes... but ..."

"As expected" Teiyei said quickly, before starting to walk down the hall. After a few steps, she stopped again, and without turning around she said "A nyokai never gives uo on the search... we may not be able to find her in a long time..." Then disappeared into a doorway.

Without even thinking twice, Hina returned her gaze to where the image of the mostrous woman had appeared, and leaned against the nearest pillar.

Now it was different. Two eyes appeared, huge, golden, such as an eagle's, fixed on her. Both belonged to the contoured face of a monstrous woman-like beast.

In them, she saw the flash of euphoria again before it disappeared in the warm breezes of the mountain in spring, bringing with them a stack of memories of the meeting of the priestesses several days ago.

_"What do you mean the ranka is no longer in Hourai?!"_

She remembered the face of her friend and companion. A mixture of disappointment, anger, and helplessness filled Miyo completely.

_"How come the search is going to be stopped?! Are we giving up to the war to end everything then?!"_

Another wave of sadness hit her again. Slowly, she let her body down until she was on the floor.

_"Do they want to leave the Kingdom of Kou while it's being destroyed?!"_

She looked at the sky, then covered with small clouds of whitish color. She sighed, feeling some pain in her heart, as if she wanted to leave that place.

She had seen it all in silence. She had waited patiently until Miyo finished, because then she would try to comfort her. Hina knew Miyo needed it, even after following Superior Youka and Kenroushin in the search of the nyokai.

They both knew that nothing could be done about it, that they were tied of hands, but for Miyo, it was hard to accept.

She had waited so many years...

Hina sat on her legs, and clasped her hands, remembering the words her friend had said, while drops fell down Miyo's cheeks.

_"Kou will die..."_

"Please Tentei... find the Taihou"

* * *

A fuzzy ceiling hung over her body. A smell of incense came to her senses. She noticed the warmth coming from her right side, and soon found she was leaning on something like a soft blanket also covered with another very similar to that .

She noticed something really uncomfortable on her forehead. She turned slightly her neck in an attempt to shake it off. A wet object fell from there to the side of her head, which her eyes couldn't tell.

"Are you already awake...?"

Then she felt someone gently touching a part of the neck. That special touch, a fairly soft fur that could only belong to someone .

"... Mister Rakushun...?"

"Relax, I won't touch your forehead" he murmured in her ear loud enough for only her to hear "I noticed that you dislike when someone does it"

Her vision cleared slightly,and she managed to define the outline of the figure of the Hanjyuu. Similarly, more figures began to appear around.

"Your temperature is falling. That's good" Rakushun said, as he took in one of his furry hands a wet towel that had been in his forehead, and stood on a nearby site" Now you just need to rest a bit more"

Shiruku saw the large, muscular figure, and instantly recognized it, like the voice that came out of it, accompanied by a powerful sighed "Whew...What a relief! I'm glad you're better..."

She made a small gesture, asking a question that Koshou managed to understand.

He scratched his chin a bit before answering "Well... After our meeting with Youma, we got away from the storm and reached the coast of the Baku Province in the Kingdom of Kei... but... " He paused for a moment .

Rakushun decided to continue for him "You had a pretty high fever attack. We took a stop at the inn for several days while your temperature came down..."

Shiruku immediately made a sad expression, while weakly muttering "I'm... sorry..." Despite her parched throat prevented her from continuing, she did in her mind : _"Sorry for being a burden..."_

Rakushun and Koshou apparently understood almost instantly because they both grinned .

"Don't worry" Rakushun reassured her "We are not in a rush"

"Besides..." Continued Koshou "Look over there" he said as he pointed a corner of the room. Rakushun slightly helped the girl to lift herself to see .

There, lying like she had, was a man. She couldn't tell among the fuzzy features the shape of his face, but he breathed quietly. She also noted that the creature she had rescued, was asleep on his lap.

"Do you remember when I entered the boat in the storm?" Koshou said with a grin "If you hadn't begged to come back, he wouldn't be here. This man owes you his life. You're like a hero right?"

Shiruku smiled a little shyly. She couldn't help it.

"Rest now" Rakushun said "You'll probably be okay to continue the journey to Gyouten soon"

She then tried to close her eyes.

But then she noticed something different.

What was...?

Again. The same awful smell in the distance.

"Erm... Rakushun..." Koshou said, with his characteristic, powerful and mocking voice "I think the wound has opened again" He received extensive speech of scolding by the half-beast.

She turned around and snuggled on the side, opposite the origin of the smell. She could almost feel weaker.

An unpleasant smell.

* * *

The melody gently moved through the outer walls of the orphanage, taking courageous steps as he walked into the dark and overgrown garden .

He didn't notice the gray facade, nor the boring door with the typical sound of polished wood. Neither saw the dark furniture, nor noticed the dark hallway through which he must pass to get to his room.

Because that time, he was, as some used to say, 'Happy'.

It wasn't a truly deep joy, much less sudden peace. He didn't possessed such aspects . However, it was a finite simple joy, which soon was reflected in his painting.

Since he could remember, like the song, he had accustomed himself to paint or draw as a way to vent his feelings. To that moment, his works had always denoted his unhappiness and abandonment, or at least, almost always.

Other times, he only painted or drew things that made no sense . For example, strange monsters, like something out of a fairy tale.

However, this one would be different.

He looked at his work, almost ready. A congregation of different colors denoted a greatly warm and different environment. They all met in the middle to form a figure belonging to a girl with a pretty face, dressed in multicolored, elegant clothes.

He smiled .

"Where is he?"

He jumped up in surprise at the sudden, alarming and aggressive voice. Fastly and almost automatically, he took all his previous works, taking them to a small corner .

"Hachi! Come out immediately! I need someone to hit!"

He quickly picked up a piece of the wood floor with some difficulty. Beneath that was an excavated hole, big enough to store his work. He then ran to get the latest paint.

He heard nearby, the strong voice in the hall and the steps. "Hachi! If you don't come out I will kill you!"

The aggressiveness in his tone was even greater than common days. The boy flinched, but didn't stop his hands. Delicately, he hid his last work in the hole, praying swiftly to prevent it from ruining, and placed the wood again.

Now he just needed to hide too...

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

The door opened brutally. So hard, that it left his place and fell with a crash . There, it broke and lost several pieces.

Then appeared the figure of the huge, broad-shouldered teenager with crazy, angry eyes, bursing into the room. His face was contorted in an expression of anger, that semmed confusing at his sloppy, old clothes.

He looked from side to side . He walked a few steps between the seats of the art room of the old orphanage.

"I know you're close!" Despair and madness rose in his eyes "I'll kill you! "

As a lunatic, he began to turn upside-down everything he found in his way. He didn't leave an object intact. He destroyed everything he could find, like a beast playing brutally with its food.

"Enough!"

Another voice came through the hallway to the room. It was a much older, firm voice , possibly from the director of the orphanage

"Stop him! "

More figures, shadows outside, rushed and broke into the room. Firm steps accompanied the images that closely, seemed to be adults, those who worked there. Most of them, however, were over 40 years old.

They took the teen together, but it was a hard task because it was a huge character, with developed musculature even for his short 16 years of age. However, with joined efforts, they got him quiet on the ground.

"Enough is enough " The dean repeated again , approaching the young frantic "Your time in this orphanage has finished. We have no choice but to let you go..."

"What kind of crap is that?" He responded aggressively, writhing under the multiple hands that held him "You can't throw me out, bastards! Who the hell do you think you are, shit!"

"Silence!"

The sound of the blow that the skeletal knuckles of the dean while he gave a strong punch to the delirious face echoed throughout the place.

From his hiding in the vents at one side of the room, Hachi could still hear the beating of his heart, mingling with the frantic breathing young man trapped by the elderly.

"It's my last word! Get him out of here!"

At the order of man, the others painstakingly hauled the body of the young, which resisted vehemently, turning in their grip.

Hachi observed perfectly still, but when wild eyes finally found him in his hiding place, a smile filled with indescribable fury froze him completely.

"You'll pay for this... " He shouted a creepy way, while the echo ran all over the place .

Hachi knew , even at the sight of the moment, the nightmares wouldn't let him forget his promise.

"YOU WILL ALL PAY!"

* * *

**I can't thank you enough for all the support. I'll be uploading the next chapter as soon as I finish translating it.**

**See ya until then ;D**


End file.
